Cut-price bus fare scheme is saved after vote

Mayor Paul Bristow said it was important to prioritise the Tiger scheme

Young people will continue to receive cut-price bus fares after a popular scheme was extended.

Members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) board agreed to keep Tiger passes until 31 March 2026.

They gave under-25s access to £1 bus journeys and have been used for about 1.8 million trips since May 2024, but concerns had been raised about funding them.

CPCA mayor Paul Bristow said it was "exactly the kind of scheme we should be prioritising" at a meeting on Tuesday.

However, it was agreed the local fare cap - which prices single journeys for older riders at £2.50 - would end on 31 October to free up £1.4m to fund the extension.

This meant tickets would increase to £3 from that date.

Extending the scheme was estimated to cost £2.28m

Tiger passes were introduced in May 2024 and their budget was due to run out in November.

Bristow, a Conservative, said: "I inherited a scheme that was going to run out of money this autumn.

"Now users have certainty until April next year, while we, as a board, get the detail right on a Tiger pass that's a permanent fixture of public transport in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough."

The estimated cost of the Tiger pass extension was £2.28m.

Labour representatives on the board suggested reallocating underspends from other budgets to save axing the fare cap.

However, their proposal was not supported by other members and the motion was unanimously backed.

The board agreed to develop ways of making the Tiger pass permanent over summer.

During the meeting, members also decided to begin procurement of bus services on the number nine from Littleport to Cambridge and 31 from Ramsey to Peterborough.

They would be funded by existing combined authority reserves and budgets.